Method and apparatus for making fillers of fibrous material

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for forming a cigarette rod or the like including a horizontally disposed relatively narrow endless belt conveyor which receives a stream of shredded tobacco and delivers the same to a suction disk conveyor rotating on a horizontal axis above the belt. The discharge end of the belt is spaced from the periphery of the disk, the space therebetween is encased in a narrow chamber forming member which contains a beating roller which drives the tobacco shreds off the belt and on to a narrow groove on the periphery of the disk. The bottom portion of the groove is foraminous so that the tobacco is held in the groove by the flow air into the interior of the disk. In a modification, the chamber is replaced by fixed parallel guides and the belt is arranged to extend around rollers which cause the belt to move away from the disk at the discharge end thereof, and then back toward and against the periphery of the disk so that the tobacco in the groove is pressed thereinto by the belt at a location downstream from the guides, after which the belt is arranged to return over rollers, to its intake end. A rotary trimmer removes excess tobacco extending radially beyond the groove at a location downstream from that where the belt pressing takes place, and a conventional stripper and belt system removes the trimmer rod stream from the disk and passes it to and through a wrapping and sealing device.

United States Patent.

Richter 1 Feb. 29, 1972 [54] METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR 3,173,424 3/1965 Gamberini ..l3l/84 C MAKING FILLERS OF FIBROUS MATERIAL Primary Examiner-Joseph S. Reich AttorneyMichael S. Striker [72] Inventor: Willy Richter, l-lamburg-Bergedorf, Germany [57] ABSTRACT Assigneel Halmi wel'ke Kofbel Apparatus for forming a cigarette rod or the like including a bulkBefgedorfr Germany horizontally disposed relatively narrow endless belt conveyor [22] Filed: May 12 1969 which receives a stream of shredded tobacco and delivers the same to a suction disk conveyor rotating on a horizontal axis pril No.1 826,069 above the belt. The discharge end of the belt is spaced from the periphery of the disk, the space therebetween is encased in Related Apphcamn Dam a narrow chamber forming member which contains a beating [63] Continuation f s N 594,270, N 14, 1966 roller which drives the tobacco shreds off the belt and on to a abandoned, Continuation of Ser. No. 275,164, Apr. nafl'ow groove the P p y of the disk The bottom P 23, i963, abandoned, hi h i a continuatiomimpan tion of the groove is foraminous so that the tobacco is held in of Ser No. 96,533, Mar. 17, 1961, abandoned. the groove by the flow air into the interior of the disk. In a modification, the chamber is replaced by fixed parallel guides [30] Foreign Application Priority Data and the belt is arranged to extend around rollers which cause the belt to move away from the disk at the discharge end Apr. 24, 1962 Great Britain ..l5,506/62 thereof. and then back toward and against the periphery of the disk so that the tobacco in the groove is pressed thereinto by US. Cl Bl/842523393 the be at a location downstream from the guides, after which 58 Field or Search ..132 84, 84 B, 84 c, l 10, 1 10 A, the ranged mners "'F A 132/110 B 66 131/84 R rotary trimmer removes excess tobacco extending radially beyond the groove at a location downstream from that where the belt pressing takes place, and a conventional stripper and [56] References cued belt system removes the trimmer rod stream from the disk and UNTED STATES PATENTS passes it to and through a wrapping and sealing device.

3,094,127 6/1963 Gamberini ..l3l/84 B X 2 Claims, 11 Drawing Figures PATENTEDFEBZS r972 3.645.273

SHEET 1 OF 5 Fig.1

ll ill lplllllllllllllll WILLY RICHTER 1 MICHAEL S. STRKEF? 711s zqzzorney PAIENTEBFEBZIS m2 3, 645.273

sum 3 or 5 lllllllll IITIIIIIIIIIIIIIII llllr 4 k 4g,

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIFIIIIIIIIIIlillllilll 77 11 7 Z OIZ WILL! RICHTER l MlCHA L S STRIKBR his flbfiorrzej/ PAIENTEDFEB 29 I972 SHEET 5 OF 5 Jpvenfo r: WILLY Hm/z u MICI-IAEL S.

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING FILLERS F FIBROUS MATERIAL This application is a streamlined continuation of abandoned application Ser. No. 594,270, filed Nov. 14, 1966, which is a streamlined continuation of abandoned application Ser. No. 275,164, filed Apr. 23, 1963, which is a continuationin-part of abandoned application Ser. No. 96,533, filed Mar. 17, 1961. 4

The present invention relates to the production of continuous fillers and wrapped rods which consist of fibrous material, such as particles of shredded tobacco which is used in the manufacture of cigarettes, fibers which are used in mouthpieces for filter tip cigarettes, and the like.

In the manufacture of cigarettes and similar tobacco-containing products, it is customary to employ so-called cigarette rod or tobacco rod machines which are used to produce continuous rodlike fillers of shredded tobacco particles, and such fillers are thereupon wrapped into paper to form cigarette rods which are severed into sections of requisite length. In order to reduce the overall dimensions of such machines, it is customary to convey a stream of tobacco particles in such a way that the direction of the stream is reversed at least once while the stream travels from a distributor to the rod-forming mechanism. On its way to the rod-forming mechanism, the stream is often subjected to the action of loosening, compacting and equalizing trimming devices to insure that the distribution of fibrous particles in the ultimate products as well as the density of such products will meet the requirements of the manufacturer and the desires of the purchasing public. The path in which the stream of fibrous material travels is normally defined by two or more cooperating conveyors which must be arranged in a way to insure that the material will be advanced at requisite speed and without piling up at the points where it is being transferred from the one to the other conveyor.

Accordingly, it is an important object of my invention to provide a novel conveying arrangement which may be utilized in a cigarette rod machine, in a filter rod machine or in similar apparatus for mass-manufacture of tobacco-containing products and which is constructed and assembled in such a way that the stream of fibrous material is fully controlled at the time it is caused to advance between a pair of cooperating conveyors.

Another object of may invention is to provide an arrangement of the just outlined characteristics which is constructed and arranged in such a way that it may control the distribution and the density of fibrous material at the time such material approaches, crosses and/or advances past the transfer point between a pair of cooperating conveyors.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved cigarette rod machine which embodies a conveying arrangement of the above-outlined characteristics.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a method of conveying and transferring a stream of fibrous material in a cigarette rod machine.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a apparatus for automatically loosening and of automatically accelerating a stream of shredded tobacco or similar fibrous material in an apparatus which is used in mass-manufacture of tobacco-containing products.

With the above objects in view, one feature of my invention resides in the provision of a apparatus for forming a rod of fibrous material which includes advancing in an elongated linear path a first stream of fibrous material which contains material in excess of that required in the ultimate product, loosening and simultaneously accelerating all of the fibers while the fibers advance beyond the linear path to form a second stream consisting of loose unsupported fibers, subjecting the stream of loose fibers to the action of an air current which is effective in a direction transversely of the movement of accelerated fibers so as to form -a third stream which contains surplus material (i.e., fibers in excess of those required in the ultimate product) and advancing the fibers in a second elongated linear path which may be an endless arcuate path defined by the circumferential groove of a rotary disk-shaped conveyor, removing surplus material from the third stream to form a filler of uniform cross-section, returning such surplus material to the first stream or to the stream of loose fibers, and converting the filler into a rod such as a cigarette rod or a filter rod.

In accordance with a modification, the first stream may be transferred into the second path without any loosening and without acceleration of fibrous material. Furthermore, the third stream may be subjected to a mechanical compacting action which is produced by an endless belt serving as a means for advancing the first stream toward the gap between the linear paths. The arrangement is preferably such that the first path includes a straight section which is adjacent to the transfer point and whose imaginary extension across the gap between the conveyors intersects and makes an acute angle with the adjacent section of the second path. Such construction is very desirable when the first conveyor advances the material in a path defined by a channel whose upper side is open so that it may receive material from a distributor, and when the second conveyor is formed with a material-receiving groove whose underside is open in the region of the gap. The means for holding the material in the groove may include a suction chamber which produces a pressure differential across and through the foraminous bottom wall of the groove to insure that the material will remain in that section of the groove whose underside is open. The suction chamber may be accommodated in the interior of the second conveyor, especially when the latter assumes the form of a rotary disk.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic of the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The improved apparatus itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional features and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following detailed description of certain specific embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary front elevational view of a conveying arrangement which forms part of a cigarette rod machine and wherein portions of a disk-shaped conveyor and of a material accelerating and loosening device are illustrated in partial section;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary end elevational view of the diskshaped conveyor as seen in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 1, with a portion of the loosening device broken away;

FIG. 3 is a schematic side elevational view of a complete cigarette rod machine which embodies a slightly modified conveying arrangement and wherein the disk-shaped conveyor is formed with two circumferential grooves, certain parts of the machine being shown in partial section;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary partial sectional view of that portion of the cigarette rod machine of FIG. 3 which serves to transfer a stream of fibrous material from the upper run of a belt conveyor into one of the circumferential grooves provided in the disk-shaped conveyor;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary end elevational view of the diskshaped conveyor as seen in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 4, a portion of the loosening device being broken away;

FIG. 6 illustrates in partial section a modified construction of the arrangement which is shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of an apparatus wherein the stream of fibrous material is transferred into the circumferential groove of a suction disk without the assistance of an accelerating roller and wherein the stream is subjected to mechanical compacting action while it advances in the groove of the suction disk, a portion of the disk being broken away to reveal the suction chamber and the foraminous bottom wall of the groove;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary front elevational view of an apparatus which constitutes a slight modification of the apparatus shown in FIG. 7 and wherein the suction disk' is formed with a second circumferential groove which serves to collect and to return surplus material onto the upper run of an endless belt which constitutes a component part of one of a pair of cooperating conveyors;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged fragmentary front elevational view of that portion of the structure which is shown in the lower lefthand corner of FIG. 8 with certain parts broken away to show the gap through which the stream of fibrous material passes on its way from the discharge end of the endless belt to the circumferential groove of the suction disk;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section as seen in the direction of arrows from the line X-X of FIG. 8; and

FIG. 11 is an inverted enlarged fragmentary transverse vertical section through the peripheral portion of the suction disk as seen in the direction of arrows from the line XI-XI of FIG.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a first conveyor which includes a suction disk I is arranged to rotate about a horizontal axis and is driven in a clockwise direction as indicated by the arrow 1 l. The disk is provided with a circumferential suction groove 2 which receives a stream 14 of loose tobacco particles from a second conveyor including an endless belt 3. The outer side of the belt 3 is provided with pointed pins or spikes 3a and its upper run 3b is arranged to travel in a horizontal plane toward and around a reversing roller 4, see the arrow 12. This upper run 3b travels beneath a suitable distributor (not shown in FIGS. I and 2) which discharges tobacco at a desired rate to insure that the quantity of tobacco advanced by the belt 3 per each unit of time is sufficient to form a tobacco filler of requisite cross section. The particles of tobacco discharged by the distributor form a first stream 13 which moves toward the roller 4 and which is entrained by the spikes 3a to move at the speed of the upper run 3b.

In accordance with a feature of my invention, the conveying arrangement comprises a mechanical loosening device which serves to loosen the particles of the stream 13 and to simultaneously accelerate the particles so that the resulting second stream 14 which consists of loose tobacco is caused to advance across the gap between the belt 3 and the disk 1 and to enter that portion of the groove 2 whose underside is open. The loosening device comprises a beater roller 5 whose axis is parallel with the axis of the roller 4 and which is provided with spikes to separate the fibers from the spikes 3a and to hurl the fibers toward the groove 2. The roller 5 is mounted in a housing 6 whose vertical sidewalls 6a, 6b prevent excessive lateral expansion of the stream 14 while this second stream advances across the gap between the left-hand end turn of the belt 3 and the nearest section of the groove 2.

The disk 1 comprises a foraminous cylinder 7 which constitutes the bottom wall of the groove 2 and which surrounds a stationary suction chamber 10. An apertured ring 9 which is inwardly adjacent to the bottom wall 7 defines a series of compartments 8 which communicate with the chamber 10 so that the chamber draws air transversely across the groove 2 and into the compartments 8 whereby the particles which form the second stream 14 are caused to adhere to and are held along the outer side of the bottom wall 7. Such particles then form a third stream which moves endwise in its groove 2 and advances toward a trimming or equalizing device, not shown in FIG. I, or directly to the rod-forming mechanism. In other words, if the apparatus is without a trimming device, the stream 15 actually constitutes a rodlike filler which may be wrapped into paper tape or the like to form a continuous cigarette rod. The conveying arrangement of my invention is equally useful for processing of fibrous materials which may be used in mouthpieces for filter tip cigarettes as well as for processing of tobacco which is used in the manufacture of cigars, cigarillos or tobacco packs.

The arrangement of FIGS. 1 and 2 operates as follows: The disk I is driven in a clockwise direction (arrow 11) and the upper run 3b of the belt 3 advances in a direction from the right to the left as indicated by the arrow 12. The distributor showers predetermined quantities of tobacco onto the upper run 3b so that the spikes 3a entrain the thus formed first stream 13 and advance it toward the beater roller 5 of the loosening device. This roller accelerates the particles and simultaneously loosens the stream 13 to form a second stream 14 of unsupported particles which are hurled across the gap between the roller 4 and the disk 1 and which are held against lateral movement by the sidewalls 6a, 6b of the housing 6. Suction which is effective in the chamber 10 causes such loose particles to enter that section of the groove 2 whose underside is open and to form a third stream 15 which moves downwardly toward the lowermost portion of the groove and thereupon upwardly toward the apex of the disk 1. It will be noted that an imaginary extension of the upper run 3b through the housing 6 will intersect and will make an acute angle with the bottom wall 7 of the groove 2 so that the particles which form the stream 14 will be hurled against the outer side of the bottom wall and will adhere thereto under the influence of suction which prevails in the compartments 8 and in the chamber 10.

The disk 1 is provided with a pair of spaced parallel flanges la, lb which constitute the sidewalls of the groove 2 and which determine the width of the stream IS. The thickness of this stream (as seen in the radial direction of the disk I) may be controlled by a mechanical compressing device which will be described in connection with FIGS. 7 to 11.

FIG. 3 illustrates a complete cigarette rod machine which includes the aforementioned parts 3, 4, 5 and 6 and a distributor D which is disposed at a level above the upper run 3b and which showers tobacco at a rate necessary to form the first stream 13. The belt 3 is driven by the roller 4 and/or by a second reversing roller 40 so as to advance in the direction indicated by an arrow 12. The exact construction of the distributor D, save that it can deliver fibrous material at a desired rate, forms no part of this invention.

The disk 1 is replaced by a modified conveyor 16 which includes a first disk 17 having a circumferential groove 17a and a second disk 18 which is coaxial with and which is adjacent to one side of the disk 17. A somewhat similar conveyor is disclosed in US. Pat. No. 3,261,364 to Kiirber et al. If desired, the disk 18 may be rotated at a speed less than the speed of the disk 17. This latter disk corresponds to the disk I and its groove 17a is disposed in a vertical plane and is aligned with the upper run 3b of the belt 3. The disk 18 has a circumferential groove 19 whose bottom wall is provided with outwardly extending spikes 19a (see FIG. 5) which serve to retain and to hold particles of surplus tobacco which are being separated from the stream 15 by an equalizing or trimming device E. The spikes 19a retain the particles of surplus tobacco against the action of centrifugal force at the time they are being advanced along the top portion of the disk 18 and toward a second beater roller 20 which directs such particles into an inclined chute 21 wherein the particles form a stream 23 which is being returned to the stream 13, i.e., onto the upper run 3b of the belt 3. The chute 21 tapers in a direction toward the belt 3 and its discharge opening 22 (see FIG. 4) is located slightly above the level of the stream 13 and directly in front (upstream) of the housing 6. The width of the discharge opening 22 approximates or equals the width of the stream 13 to insure that the particles of surplus tobacco (stream 23) are distributed evenly over the exposed upper side of the stream 13.

The machine of FIGS. 3 to 5 is utilized to form a continuous cigarette rod and is operated as follows:

The distributor D showers particles of tobacco onto the upper run 3b to form the stream 13 which is advanced by the spikes 3a to move toward the beater roller 5. This roller accelerates the particles and loosens the stream 13 to form a second stream 14 which passes through the gap surrounded by the housing 6 and moves into the range of suction prevailing in the groove 17a so as to form a third stream 15 which advances toward the trimming device E. The rate at which the distributor showers particles of tobacco onto the belt 3a is selected in such a way that the stream 13 contains just as much or approximately as much tobacco as is required in the cigarette rod. The trimming device E comprises rotary elements 24a which are mounted in a housing 24 and which trim the exposed irregular surface of the stream 15. The trimming device further comprises conventional means (not shown) for transferring trimmed-off surplus tobacco into the groove 19 wherein the particles of surplus tobacco are engaged and retained by the spikes 19a to move into the range of the beater roller 21). This roller separates the particles from the spikes 19a and such par-- ticles form the stream 23 which descends through the chute 21 and is discharged at 22 to form the uppermost layer of the stream 13.

The stream 23 of surplus tobacco may be formed at the time the machine is started whereupon the quantity of tobacco in the stream 13 may equal the quantity of tobacco in the filler which is determined by the trimming device E and which thereupon advances toward a rod-forming mechanism 25 of conventional design. This rod-forming mechanism enwraps the tiller into a tape P of paper or similar wrapper material to form a cigarette rod which is thereupon severed into sections of requisite length. When the particles which form the stream 23 are deposited onto the stream 13, they are adjacent to the air-permeable bottom wall of the groove 17a and are not removed by the trimming device E so that the quantity of surplus tobacco remains substantially unchanged but the particles which form the stream 23 are caused to pass only once through the chute 21.

The rod-forming mechanism 25 is located past a compressing belt 25a and a bridge 25b which latter guides the filler on its way from the groove 17a into the rod forming mechanism. The bridge 25!; also acts as a stripper to clean the groove 17a and to insure that all of the particles which form the filler are separated from the disk 17.

FIG. 6 illustrates a modified conveying arrange rent which may be utilized in the cigarette rod machine of F16. 3. T his arrangement is practically identical with the arrangement of FIGS. 4 and 5 excepting that the chute 21 is repiacecl by a chute 26 which discharges the stream 23 of surplus tobacco directly into the housing 6 so that the particles of surplus tobacco are admitted into the stream 14. The discharge end 27 of the chute 26 assumes the form of a nozzle whose width equals the width of the groove 17a in the periphery of the suction disk 17. Suction prevailing in the disk 17 is effective to direct the particles of the stream 14 and the particles of the stream 23 into the groove 17a so that such particles form a stream which advances toward the equalizing device E, not shown in FIG. 6. Such suction may cause the stream 23 to mix with the stream 14 which is of advantage if the fibers forming the stream 23 are comparatively short.

Referring to FIG. 7, there is shown a slightly modified apparatus for producing fillers and rods of fibrous material, such as shredded tobacco, fibers which are utilized to term mouthpieces for filter tip cigarettes, and the like. This apparatus differentiates from the previously described apparatus in that it need not comprise any means for accelerating and/or loosening the stream of fibrous material while the stream moves across the gap between the elongated paths defined by a pair of cooperating conveyors. One of these conveyors comprises a hollow disk 101 whose peripheral portion defines an endless path and which is formed with a circumferential groove I02 bounded by a pair of annular flanges 13%, 131 which constitute the side walls of this groove. The bottom wall of the groove 102 assumes the form of a foraminous cylinder 107 whose inner side surrounds a fixed suction chamber 1111 serving as a means for producing a pressure differential transversely across the groove 102 and for thereby retaining a stream 113 of fibrous material in the endless path defined by the disk 101. The means for rotating the disk inciudes a horizontal shaft 133 which causes the disk to rotate in a counterclockwise direction as indicated by the arrow 111.

The second conveyor comprises an endless flexible belt or tape 103 which is trained around a series of deflecting rollers 135, 136, 137 and around additional rollers (not shown in FIG. 7) so that the belt defines an endless path inciuding a horizontal section which is separated from the endless path defined by the peripheral portion of the disk 1131 by a narrow gap 140. The belt 103 comprises a horizontally extending portion 103a which is bounded by side walls 142, so as to form with such sidewalls an elongated channel 145 through which the stream 1 13 is caused to advance toward and beyond the roller (i.e., across the gap 1411) and to enter that portion of the groove 102 whose underside is open. The belt portion 103a constitutes the bottom wall of the channel 145. It will be noted that the horizontal section of the endless path defined by the belt 103 of the second conveyor (i.e., that section of this endless path in which the stream 113 moves while advancing along the upper side of the belt portion 103a) makes an acute angle with the adjacent section of the endless path defined by the peripheral portion of the disk 101. An imaginary extension of the belt portion 103a across the gap 141) intersects and makes an acute angle with a plane which is tangential to the bottom wall 107 at the point where the imaginary extension of the belt portion 103a intersects the wall 107. The lowermost portion of the groove 102 is located at a level below the channel 145 which means that the stream 113, after reaching the bottom wall 1117, is caused to move downwardly and is thereupon moved upwardly along the right-hand portion of the groove 192. The stream 113 is formed on the belt 103 by particles of fibrous material fed through the lower end of a distributor (not shown) which is similar to the distributor D of FIG. 3.

In accordance with a feature of my invention, the particles of fibrous material are subjected to a mechanical compacting action at a point past the point where the stream 113 comes into contact with the bottom wall 107 and preferably a little past the lowermost portion of the groove. The compressing device may constitute a component part of the second .conveyor and, as clearly shown in FIG. 7, this device includes a portion 1133b of the belt 103 and the aforementioned deflecting roiler 137 which latter causes the belt to engage the .end faces of the flanges 130, 131 and to thereby press the stream 113 into the groove 102, it being assumed that the distributor feeds particles of fibrous material at such a rate that some particles project beyond the end faces of the flanges 130, 13.1 at the time the stream travels in the lowermost portion of the groove 102.

if desired, the apparatus may comprise a suitable trimming or equalizing device E which is located downstream of the belt portion 1113b and which serves to remove surplus material from the stream so that the equalized stream which is caused to leave the groove 102 at a point close to the apex of thedisk 1111 forms a filler of uniform cross section.

in order to prevent lateral expansion of the stream 113 at the time this stream crosses the gap 140, I provide a pair of substantially vertical sidewalls 147, 148 which extend between the marginal zones of the belt portion 103a and the flanges 130, 131. These sidewalls are detachably fixed to the supporting frame of the apparatus in a manner to be described in connection with FIGS. 8: to 11.

The mounting of the belt 103 is such a way that the imaginary extension of its portion 103a across the gap intersects and makes an acute angle with the bottom wall 107 of theidisk M31 renders it possible to transfer the stream into the groove 102 without appreciable straying and insures that suction prevailing in the chamber 1111 will retain the particles in the groove before the particles are subjected to the action of centrifugal force. The action of centrifugal force is felt at the time the stream passes beyond the lowermost portion of the groove 102 and advances toward and past the belt portion 103b If desired, the belt portion 1113b may extend all the way up tothe trimming device E. The direction in which the belt 103 is caused to advance is indicated by arrows 150. This belt may be driven by one ofthe rollers 135-137.

Of course, suction prevailing in the groove 102 also prevents rebounding of fibrous material such as could cause the material to drop onto the belt portion 1413b.

F108. 8 and 9 illustrate an apparatus which constitutes a slight modification of the apparatus shown in FIG. 7. The disk 2131 of the first conveyor comprises a circumferential groove 2112 whose bottom wall is formed by a foraminous cylinder 297 and which surrounds a stationary suction chamber 210 meluding an arcuate baffle 210a serving as a means for restricting the effect of suction to certain zones of the groove 202. The disk 201 is driven by a horizontal shaft 233 which is mounted in a vertical platelike frame member 252 and which causes the disk to rotate in an anticlockwise direction (arrows 211). The manner in which the stream 213 of fibrous particles is caused to travel across the gap 240 is the same as described in connection with FIG. 7. The imaginary extension 203a of the belt portion 2030 which forms part of an endless belt 203 makes an acute angle alpha (see FIG. 8) with the foraminous bottom wall 207 of the groove 202, and the lowermost portion of this groove is located below the level of the belt portion 203a. The width of the gap 240 is determined by two vertical sidewalls 247, 248 (see particularly FIG. 10) which are carried by a horizontal bolt 254 secured to a vertical supporting bracket 255 by means of a wingnut 256. The bracket 255 is secured to the frame member 252 by a bolt 257 and wingnut 258. The bracket 255 and the sidewalls 247, 248 are spaced from that portion of the belt 203 which is trained around the rollers 235, 236 so that the suction chamber 210 may draw air into the gap 240 and that such air will cause the stream 213 to adhere to the outer side of the bottom wall 207. After passing around the rollers 235, 236, the belt 203 travels around a further roller 260 and thereupon toward a roller 237 which cooperates with the roller 260 to maintain the belt portion 203!) in engagement with the end faces of the flanges 230, 231 (see particularly FIG. 11). The end faces of the flanges 230, 231 are inclined so as to assume the form of truncated cones whose larger-diameter ends are adjacent to the groove 202. The material of the belt 203 is of such flexibility that the central zone of the belt yields when it engages the stream 213 whereby excess tobacco projects beyond the groove 202 and may be removed by a trimming or equalizing device (not shown in FIGS. 8 and 9) in the same way as described in connection with FIG. 7. Thus, the trimming device transforms the stream into a filler of uniform cross section which is ready to be converted into a cigarette rod or into a filter rod, depending on the nature of fibrous material which is being fed onto the belt portion 203a.

The roller 237 reverses the direction of the belt 203 and causes the latter to pass around a roller 261 and along the underside of a further roller 262 on its way to a second reversing roller, not shown in the drawings. The roller 262 serves as a means for holding the lower stringer 203c of the belt 203 away from the portion 203b. The frame member 252 supports a pair of detachable stripper blades 264,265 which remove stray particles of fibrous material from the peripheries of rollers 236,260.

The belt portion 203a travels along the internal surface of a trough-shaped guide member 242 which performs the function of walls 142,143, and thereupon along the internal surface of a similar trough-shaped guide member 267 which is carried by the frame member 252 and which causes the marginal zones of the belt portion 203a to bend outwardly in a manner as illustrated in FIG. 10. The member 267 directs the belt portion 2030 against the periphery of the roller 235 which resembles a barrel and which insures that the belt 203 is flat at the time it reaches the roller 236.

.The disk 201 comprises a second circumferential groove 270 which is concentric with the groove 202 and which receives surplus tobacco from the trimming device in the same way as described in connection with FIGS. 3 to 6. This second groove 270 may discharge particles of fibrous material into the channel defined by the belt section 203a and trough 242 and guide 267. The bracket 255 forms a shield along the adjacent portion of the groove 270.

FIG. 11 shows that the marginal zones of the belt portion 203b extend laterally beyond the end faces of the flanges 230, 231.

The operation of the apparatus shown in FIGS. 8 to 11 is analogous to that of the apparatus which is illustrated in FIG. 7. It is to be noted that the force of gravity may cause the stream 213 to move in a downwardly inclined direction at the time the stream crosses the gap 240 so that the longitudinal direction of this stream is nearly tangential to the bottom wall 207. Owing to suction in the chamber 210, the material contained in that section of the groove 202 which is momentarily adjacent to the gap 240 will be subjected to the retaining action of air streams which enter the groove between the belt 203 and the side walls 247,248.

It was found that the material is more likely to pile up and to prevent continuous advance of the stream 113 or 213 toward the trimming device if the underside of the groove 102 or 202 is closed in immediate proximity of the gap 140 or 240, i.e., if the suction conveyor actually forms atunnel through which the material must pass after crossing the gap. However, by placing the roller 137 or 237 at some distance from the gap and by leaving the underside of the groove open in that section thereof which is immediately adjacent to the gap, 1 insure that suction created in the chamber or 210 will cause the unsupported particles to' form a new stream without exhibiting the tendency to pile up at the transfer point. Of course, such tendency to accumulate in the gap or 240 is much more pronounced if the distribution of material into the path defined by the conveyor belt 103 or 203 is irregular.

The compressing device 103b, 137 or 2031;, 237 insures that the stream of tobacco advancing in the groove of the suction disk properly fills all zones of the groove at the time the stream reaches the trimming device or the rod forming mechanism.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic and specific aspects of this invention.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In an apparatus for forming fillers of fibrous material, such as shredded tobacco and the like, in combination, first conveying means defining an elongated narrow channel whose upper side is open and comprising an endless belt a first portion of which constitutes the bottom wall of said channel; second conveying means comprising a hollow disk having a circumferential groove separated from said channel by a gap, said first and second conveying means being arranged to convey fibrous material in paths which intersect, a portion of said groove being adjacent to said gap and having an open underside and said disk comprising a foraminous member constituting one wall of said groove; means for feeding particles of fibrous material into said channel so that such particles form a narrow stream which moves through said channel, immediately across said gap, and into said portion of said groove; and retaining means for retaining the stream in said portion of said groove so that the stream advances with said disk, said retaining means comprising a suction chamber provided in said disk to draw air across said groove, said belt comprising a second portion and said first conveying means further comprising deflecting means for guiding said second belt portion beneath said gap and into contact with the periphery of said disk at a point past the point where the stream enters said groove so that the second belt portion constitutes a mechanical compressing device which compacts the particles of fibrous material in said groove.

2. Apparatus for forming fillers of fibrous material particularly fillers consisting of shredded tobacco, comprising first and second conveying means respectively including narrow first and second portions separated from each other by a gap and arranged to convey fibrous particles in first and second paths the first of which guides the material toward the second path, said first portion being arranged to support conveyed material from below; means for feeding particles of fibrous material to said first portion so that such particles form a narrow stream which moves beyond said first portion, immediately across said gap, and all particles of which reach said second portion, said fibrous particles being out of contact with said first and second conveying means during travel across said gap is provided with a groove defined by an open underside; and said first conveying means comprising a second portion adjacent to said second conveying means for compressing the material in said groove. 

1. In an apparatus for forming fillers of fibrous material, such as shredded tobacco and the like, in combination, first conveying means defining an elongated narrow channel whose upper side is open and comprising an endless belt a first portion of which constitutes the bottom wall of said channel; second conveying means comprising a hollow disk having a circumferential groove separated from said channel by a gap, said first and second conveying means being arranged to convey fibrous material in paths which intersect, a portion of said groove being adjacent to said gap and having an open underside and said disk comprising a foraminous member constituting one wall of said groove; means for feeding particles of fibrous material into said channel so that such particles form a narrow stream which moves through said channel, immediately across said gap, and into said portion of said groove; and retaining means for retaining the stream in said portion of said groove so that the stream advances with said disk, said retaining means comprising a suction chamber provided in said disk to draw air across said groove, said belt comprising a second portion and said first conveying means further comprising deflecting means for guiding said second belt portion beneath said gap and into contact with the periphery of said disk at a point past the point where the stream enters said groove so that the second belt portion constitutes a mechanical compressing device which compacts the particles of fibrous material in said groove.
 2. Apparatus for forming fillers of fibrous material particularly fillers consisting of shredded tobacco, comprising first and second conveying means respectively including narrow first and second portiOns separated from each other by a gap and arranged to convey fibrous particles in first and second paths the first of which guides the material toward the second path, said first portion being arranged to support conveyed material from below; means for feeding particles of fibrous material to said first portion so that such particles form a narrow stream which moves beyond said first portion, immediately across said gap, and all particles of which reach said second portion, said fibrous particles being out of contact with said first and second conveying means during travel across said gap and said second portion being located in part above said gap; a pair of side walls extending between said first and second portions to control lateral expansion of the stream while the stream moves across said gap; retaining means for retaining the stream in said second portion; said first portion defining a channel whose upper side is open and and said second portion is provided with a groove defined by an open underside; and said first conveying means comprising a second portion adjacent to said second conveying means for compressing the material in said groove. 